Initial interactions in the classroom: The effects of powerful and powerless language, gender, and status on impression formation

Research examining the effects of language on initial impressions suggests that more favorable ratings are assigned to individuals using powerful rather than powerless language. While the effects of powerful language have been examined in contexts such as the interview, crisis intervention, and the court room, little consideration has been given to the effects of powerful and powerless language on students' impressions. This study is designed to (1) extend the existing research on students' perceptions by arguing that teachers' use of powerful and powerless language influences students' impressions, (2) address the relationship of gender and status on students' perceptions, and (3) examine the role of uncertainty reduction during impression formation. Three hypotheses were specifically tested: (1) students will perceive teachers using powerless language less favorably than teachers using powerful language, (2) students will assign teachers using powerless language less favorable ratings of their course than teachers using powerful language, and (3) teachers using powerless language will generate higher levels of student uncertainty than teachers using powerful language. In addition, two research questions were asked: (1) does teacher gender affect students' perceptions of the teacher, and (2) does teacher status affect students' perceptions of the teacher?;One hundred and sixty students were assigned to one of eight experimental conditions: two language (powerful and powerless), two gender, (male and female), and two status (professor and GTA). Measurements included an impression index, an uncertainty instrument, and a student perception scale.;Results indicate that students assign favorable ratings to teachers using powerful language. Students rated teachers with powerful language more favorably on all dimensions of the impression formation scale. In addition, students' perceptions of the course were also rated higher when teachers used powerful language. Students reported higher levels of uncertainty when teachers used powerless language. Teacher gender and status appear to have no measurable effects on impression formation. However, teacher gender did affect students' perceptions of the class.